Fused switch



Aug. 7, 1928'.

FUSED SWITCH Filed Aug. 5. 1920 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

JOSEPH SACHS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

FUSED SWITCH. I

Application filed August 5, 1920. Serial no. 401,474.

One object of the'invention is to provide an improved arrangement ofparts and improved details of construction which make possible theproduction of a fused switch which is not only strong and reliable butis also inexpensive and compact. -This object is attained primarily bylocating the fuse and switch portions of the device in off-set relationto each other on the base and by providing a fiat conducting membercarried by the baseand extending transverse ly from one fuse contact toone switch contact, the said member having a portion extending outwardsubstantially at right angles to the front face of the base so as toform the said switch contact.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form ofswitch blade which is simple and inexpensive and which provides aparticularly; firm electrical engagement with the stationary switchcontacts.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan of an enclosed fused switchincorporating the invention and showing the cover of the switch casingopen;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 a section of Fig. 1 on line III-III;

Fig. 4 a section thereof on line and Fig. 5 a plan of a three-wireenclosed fused switch with fused lugs in place.

The invention is particularly applicable to a fused switch enclosed in acasing an provided with an external operating handle. The enclosingswitch casing 1 may be assumed to he made of metal as usual and with theusual knockouts in the walls throu h which the incoming circuit wiresenter an the outgoing wires leave it. It is provided with a hinged cover2 and the usual means for locking and sealing it and there is nolimitation as to the style, character or material of the casing. ,Itcontains a base 3 of insulating material, preferably formed in one pieceas shown and secured to the back or bottom of the casing by screws 4, orin any other suitable way. The base carries a switch blade and a pair offuse contacts for each leg of the circuit, there being one or morebladesand one or more pairs of fuse contacts according to the number of legsin the circuit as will be understood. I have shown fuse contacts 10 and11 adapted for receiving a screw plug fuse but I do not necessarily solimit myself.

Foreach leg of the circuit there are two wire attaching terminals 'onthe base these being located respectively adjacent opposite edges of thebase as for instance the upper and lower edges. The two terminals arerepresented at 8 and 14 respectively. Connected with the terminal 8 is ablade contact 7 which consists of a fiat metal strip bent I to a rightangle with its foot secured to the base by a screw '7, or in any othersuitable way, and provided with a screw which constitutes the aforesaidterminal l 8. The terminals 8, 8 may be regarded as being service wireterminals and preferablyone of them 1s placed at the extreme corner ofthe base so that its upstanding portion, constitutmg the blade contactis very close to the side of base. The hinge-post 6 for each switchblade is formed by the perforated. upturned end of a conductor member 9,whlch member extends transversely from the blade to its associated fusecontact with which it preferably directly engages. When tlie fusecontacts are adapted for. a screw p u sai transverse member 9 may beconnected to one or the other of them asfor instance to the shell 10.The hinge-posts 6 are placed in line with their respective bladecontacts 7 one of them preferably bein close to the side of the base inline with t e right'hand 6. blade contact, so that one of the switchblades is thus located' close to and almost coincident with the lane ofthe edge of the base. ,,.The switch b ade at the op osite side of thebase may, if desired, be ocated in .the' same relation to its adjacentedge of the base, but no greater economy of space is thereby obtainedand therefore I prefer the arrangement shown wherein the switch bladesare each to the right of their wire connectors and fuses. The metalshell 10 of the fuse plug socket is threaded in the usual way to receivea screw plug fuse and provided with an inturned base flange for contactwith the conductor member 9 and is firmly clamped to 11, the head ofwhich forms the center contact for the fuse. Such contact screw iselectrically separated from the shell and the conductor member 9 bymenas of an fuse 15 as are the contacts 10 and 11 the that member by thescrew insulating Washer 12, and is secured to orpath of'connectionacross the base from a terminal on one side to the correspondingterminal on the other, thus consists of two parts whose respectivemid-base ends, the

hinge-post and the adjacent fuse contact,

are laterally staggered or offset.

v The apparatus can obviously be traversed by the circuit in eitherdirection, and on the assumption that the circuit enters at the top inthese drawings, the contacts 7 may be regarded as the entrance ends ofthe switch blades and the hinge-posts 6 their exit ends, and theentrance contact of each pair of fuse contacts is thus located at theside of the exit end of its switch-blade and the exit contact connectedwith the conductor member 13, is therefore offset from the line of theswitch blade. The fuse contacts may be so located either at the right orthe left of the blade end, or inthe case of a two-wire circuit, bothfuse holders can be placed between the'two blade ends. .In either casethis laterally offset position of the socket results in an economy inthe dimension of the base between its incoming and outgoing sides aswill be obvious by a comparison with the usual form of fuse'plugswitches in which the switch blades and fuses are mounted in the sameline. In such switches the fuse contacts, particularly if in the form offuse plug sockets, must be considerably separated from theblade hingesso that the fuses therein will not obstruct the full opening movement ofthe blades. But'by placing the fuse contacts in the lateral positionsabove described they may be very close to the hinges without interferingwith the blade movement and may in fact be so close to the hinges as notto involve any increase in the transverse dimension of the base orcasing as compared with prior practice. At the same time thelongitudinal or. vertical dimension of the base is considerablyshortened as already pointed out, with the consequence that theenclosing casing may also be smaller as will now be apparent.

In order that each switch blade 5 may effectively engage thecorresponding two fiat switch contacts 6 and 7, I preferably constructeach said blade of two separate metallic strips 16, 16 which have theirend por tions spaced apart so as to engage the outer sides of therespective contacts. The said strips preferably contact with each otherat their central portions, the spacing apart of the said end portionsbeing obtained by offsetting the end vportions of one or both of thesaid strips. As the result of the offsetting a depression is formed inone or both of the said strips between the said offset end portions. Theend portions of the strips engaging the rupture contact 7 are free foradjustment toward and from each other, the said end portions being thusable to relatively adapt themselves so as to firmly engage the contact.For operating each switch blade there is provided an operating member 17which preferably comprises a body of insulating material secured to theswitch blade at the central portion thereof. At the right hand side ofFig. 5 the operating member is broken away to show the switch blade moreclearly. Preferably this operating member is located in the saiddepression at one side of the blade,- but I do not necessarily so limitmyself. A rivet 18 is provided which serves to hold the two parts of theblade together and which also serves to secure the operating member 17in place.

A fused switch embodying the invention is particularly adapted to beused with an enclosing casing such as the casing 1 already described.lVhen such a casing is provided the side walls thereof may serve as ameans for supporting an operating spindle 19 for movin the switch blades5, 5. As shown, the spindle 19 has pivot sections 20 and 21 in alignmentwith the pivotal axes of the switch blades. These pivot sections aremounted in suitable bearing apertures in the side walls of the casing.The spindle 19 is formed with a manually operable handle22 locatedoutside of the casing. Inside of the casing the spindle is provided witha crank section 23 suitably connected with the switch operating members17, each of which is provided with a slot 24 for receiving the saidcrank section. It will be obvious that by turning the handle 22 theswitch blades may be moved so as to be disengaged from and reengagedwith the switch contacts 7, 7.

Claims:

1. A fused switch comprisin in combination, a base of insulatingmateriah'two separate wire attaching terminals respectively adjacentopposite edges of the base and accessible from the front thereof, a pairof fuse contacts on the front of the base comprising an outer screwshell and a center contact, the -said contacts being adapted to receivea screw plug fuse and one of them being directly connected with one wireterminal, a flat conducting member directly engaging at one end with theother fuse contact and extending transversely of the base in a directionapproximately parallel to the aforesaid opposite edges thereof, the saidmember at the other end having a portion III extending outward at rightangles to the front face of the base and perpendicular to the aforesaidopposite edges thereof so as to form a switch contact, a second switchcontact on the base in alignment with the first said switch contact, the

and connected thereto, and a movable switch blade pivoted to one of theswitch contacts and adapted to engage the other switch contact.

2. A fused switch comprising in combination, a base of insulatingmaterial, two separate wire attaching terminals respectively adjacentopposite edges of the base and accessible fromthe front thereof, a pairof fuse contacts on the front of the base comprising an outer screwshell and a center contact, the said contacts being adapted to receive ascrew plug fuse and the center'contact being directly connected with onewire terminal, a flat conducting member directl engaging at one end withthe screw she contact and extending transversely of the base in adirection approximately parallel to the aforesaid opposite edgesthereof, the said member being located in a groove at the front of thebase and having at the other end a portion extending outward at rightangles to the front face of the base and perpendicular to the aforesaidopposite edges thereof so as to form a switch contact, a second switchcontact on the base in alignment with 1 tact, the said second contactbeing adjacent engaging the first said switch conand connected to theremaining wire terminal, and a movable switch blade pivoted to the firstsaid switch contact and adapted to engage the other switch contact.

3. fused switch comprising in combination, a base of insulatingmaterial, two separate wire attaching terminals respectively adjacentopposite edges of the base and accessible from the front thereof, a pairof fuse contacts on the front of the base comprisin an outer screw shelland a center contact, the said contacts being adapted to receive a screwplug fuse andione of them being directly connected with one wiretermmal, a flat conducting member directly at one end with the otherfusecontact and extending transversely of the base ina directionapproximately parallel to the aforesaid opposite ed es thereof, the saidmember at the other en having a portion extending outward at rightangles to the front face of the base and perpendicular to the aforesaidopposite edges so as to form a switch contact, a second switch contacton the base in alignment with the first said switch contact, the saidsecond contact being adjacent and connected to the remaining wireterminal, a movable switch blade ivotcd to one of the switch contactsand a apted to engage the other switch consaid second contact beingadjacent the remaining w1re terminal tact, the said blade comprising twose )arate metallic strips contacting with each ot 1er at their centralportions and having their end portions spaced apart so as to engageopposite sides of the respective contacts, and an operating member forthe blade comprising a body of insulating material secured to the blade.

4. A fused switch comprising in combination, a base of insulatingmaterial, two separate wire attaching terminals respectively adjacentopposite edges of the base and accessible from the front thereof, a pairof fuse contacts of which the first is adjacent and directly connectedwith one wire terminal, a switch contact adjacent and directly connectedwith the other wire terminal and extending outward at right angles tothe front face of the base, a switch blade movable into and out ofengagement with the said switch contact, thesaid fuse contacts and thesaid switch contact and blade being located at the front of the base andtransversely offset from each other so as to form in conjunction with afuse and with the corresponding wire terminals two overlapping currentpaths in planes substantially perpendicular to the aforesaid oppositeedges of the base, a flat transverse conducting member directly carriedby the base and extending directly from one to the other of the saidcurrent paths to connect them in series, the said member at one enddirectly engaging the second fuse contact and at the other end having aninte al portion extending outward at right ang es to the front face ofthe base so as to form a second switch contact which is also engaged bgthe switch blade, and a hinge connection etween the last said contactand the switch blade.

5. An enclosed fused switch comprising a casing, a base therein, sets ofservice an load wire terminals placed respectively alpng opposite sidesof the base, hinged switch blades having blade contacts connected withone set of terminals-and fuses connected to the other set, the bladesand fuses being placed alongside of each other in each leg ofthe-circuit so as to overlap, and conductor stripsbetween theoverlapping ends of said blades and fuses having up-turned endsconstituting hinge-posts.

6. In an electric switch, the combination being free for adjustmenttoward and from each otherto firmly engage the opposite sides of thesaid contact, and an operating member for the blade connected thereto.

7. In an electric switch, the combination of a base, two spaced alignedcontacts on the base each comprising a flat metallic conductor extendingoutward at right angles to the base, a switch blade comprising twoseparate metallic strips having their end portions spaced apart so as toengage opposite sides of the respective contacts, the said strips beinghinged to one con tact and being movable into and outof engagement withthe other contact and the end portions of the strips engaging the lastsaid contact being free for adjustment toward and from each other tofirmly engage the opposite sides of the said contact, and an operatingmember for the blade connected to the strips at the central portionsthereof and between the said contact engaging portions,

8. In an electric switch, the combination 'of a base, two spaced alignedcontacts on the base each comprising a flat metallic conductor extendingoutward at right angles to the base, a switch blade comprising twos'eparate metallic strips contacting with each other at their centralportions and having their end portions spaced apart so as to engageopposite sides of the respective contacts, the said strips being hingedto one contact and being movable into and out of engagement with theother contact and the end portions of the strips engaging the last saidcontacts being free for movement toward and from each other to firmlyengage the opposite sides of the said contact, and an operating memberfor the blade connected to the strips at the central portions thereofand between the said contact engaging portions.

9. In an electric switch, the combination of a base, two spaced alignedcontacts on the base each comprising a flat metallic conductor extendingoutward at right angles to the base, a switch blade hinged to onecontact and adapted to engage the other contact, the said bladecomprising two separate metallic strips contacting with each other attheir central portions and having their end portions spaced apart so asto engage opposite sides of the respective contacts, and an operatingmember for the blade comprising a body of insulating material secured tothe blade at the central portion thereof in the depression between thesaid contact engaging portions of one of the blade strips.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

JOSEPH SACHS.

